MMR vaccine - to get or not to get? do schools check vaccine history?

Just to add to the discussion, I had the MMR vaccine when I was 1 back in the '70s and have been fine (as far as I can tell:-) but I did have mumps as a kid and then measles when I was 21 (which was really tough btw). The effectiveness of any vaccine is never 100% plus after a number of years it is likely that one no longer has immunity. However, having the disease as a child after being vaccinated means it will be more manageable and less likely to have serious side effects. I would NEVER choose not to vaccinate my child, not with the potential downside of all these diseases. Not too long ago thousands of people where dying or left disabled because of diseases that have been eradicated for the most part in the western world today thanks to vaccines. As a mother I find this trend to question vaccinations very dangerous as it can put children at risk unecessarily. I plan to give the MMR to DD but may wait until she's 15 months, for some reasons its effectiveness increases slightly post 12 months but of course you have to weigh the risk of the infant getting the disease in the meantime. Just my twopence, not meaning to cause offense to anybody!

I found this on the NHS website: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/mmr-questions-answers.aspx#threeseparatejabs

Hi To answer your question. I don't think schools will not give you a place if you don't have the MMR. I got a place in school for my dd who is starting school September and she was not vaccinated when I registered her and send them the vaccination card. I only recently took her for her first MMR. I waited till now to make sure she can talk and she is up to speed with all she is suppose to do at this age. I have 2 friends that claim MMR is the cause of their kids low spectrum autism. But you can never be certain for you either have it or you don't. Your piece of pie in life as my friend told me.

I had measles and mumps as a kid, and actually all my 4 siblings came down with measles together and we were fine. Yep most people who have measles are fine, but it is a virus which can and does cause death (even in first world countries). Using the "we had it and we are fine" logic to say its not dangerous would be the same as me saying "my son (and millions of others) has had the MMR vaccine and he is fine" so there is no risk in vaccinating. Neither conclusion is that accurate though. The truth is that ALL vaccines have a risk of "injury". There is a risk of brain damage if your child has an adverse reaction to the MMR vaccine. Its entirely possible that it is what happened to your friend's son, he had an adverse reaction and was "injured". Its also possible to suffer brain damage as a result of catching measles itself, clearly that didn't happen in your family but statistically, it is more likely than the odds of suffering brain damage following the MMR vaccine. That's how the governments make decisions on publicly funded vaccines, simple statistics, which scenario has the lower risk (and therefore costs them less). We as parents have to make the same calls, natural or vaccine acquired immunity either way there is risk, you have to choose the lowest risk. Autism is not well understood, there are many things which have been correlated with increased risk. Formula feeding is one and yet you don't often see somebody posting "I'm considering not formula feeding because I don't want my child to get autism", interesting isn't it that the postulated MMR link, (despite large subsequent studies with thousands of children showing no link) has stuck in peoples minds so much. FWIW my uncle had mumps as an adult and it affected his fertility, a friend of mine is badly scarred on her face from chicken pox, I know of a baby who died from chickenpox, and those are much less risky diseases than measles. So as much as I cringe with every vaccination and pray not to be one of the very small percentage who do react badly, I did the maths and vaccinating in my mind is a "safer" choice than choosing not to vaccinate. Everybody has different personal circumstances and should be free to make up their own mind, I would never give a vaccination I had decided was too risky, simply to get my child into a school. <em>edited by kiwispiers on 26/08/2013</em>

I worried about this vaccine a lot too but after weeks of research the pros far outweighed the cons. The autism study has been widely discredited. My dd had it at 18 months and was fine.

Like your friend, alot of people whose children received the MMR shot, regressed, stopped babbling, and then developed autism. How do you quantify "alot"? The OP gave one instance and the article you noted gave 2 more. So, that means 3 children versus the risk of serious illness or possibly death due to MMR? Millions upon millions of children are given these vaccines annual. How many people suffer ill effects for it to be classified as "alot"? What is the proof of causation and not coincidence for these "alot" of children? I am often a skeptic of the conventional medical wisdom, but we need more than anecdotes and a few seemingly isolated instances (where coincidence can be ruled out) before we should risk our children getting illnesses that are potentially life threatening.

Thanks for the advice. I'd love to prevent DD from illness as would any parent, but I had measles and mumps as a kid, and actually all my 4 siblings came down with measles together and we were fine. I just don't want to try and prevent one thing but cause something else. My friends son was a normal talkative boy (babbling, he was 1 year) and after MMR vaccine he became really ill, and then stopped babbling or trying to talk as much as he used to and was quiet which was odd for him, and when it came to learning words he's quite slow and behind his age, he's 3 years now. She swears it's the MMR vaccine after which he was never the same again. Anyways, just contemplating the pros and cons :) Like your friend, alot of people whose children received the MMR shot, regressed, stopped babbling, and then developed autism. I would strongly advise you AGAINST giving your baby this vaccine. People still talk about the Wakefield study being discredited. But there have recently been huge payouts by the courts to vaccine injured children. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/post2468343_b_2468343.html Also, pls read the readers comments at the bottom. There are alot of informative pages on Facebook, with vaccine injured children, side effects etc. Do you remember the Contergan Scandal back in the 1960s? (pharma companies denied for years that Contergan caused pregnant woman to give birth to disabled children). Just like the autism debate, until finally they admitted it.

Hi sourskittleashnut If you do choose not to vaccinate, don't do it on the basis of that 'study'. The doctor who did it was found guilty of serious professional misconduct and struck off from being a doctor as a result of it. For more info, read [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMR_vaccine_controversy'>this.[/url'> At my children's school we provide a copy of their vaccination card, no idea if they check it with the doctor or not, I'd guess not.

They do check vaccine history, yes. As the Meagle says, any and all reports that suggest that the MMR vaccine cause autism have been thoroughly discredited. But it is certain that Measles can cause deafness and/or death - and in this part of the world, with people coming and going all the time from countries that don't have access to vaccines - do you really want to risk Measles, Mumps or Rubella?

Hi ladies, I'm really double minded about getting DD her 1 year MMR vaccine, apparently some studies show it can cause some problems including Autism. I'm going to be putting her name down in schools this September, will they check her vaccination history and deny entry to the school if she hasn't had all her vaccinations? She has had all her vaccines to date (HipB etc), I'm just not sure about the MMR one personally I think 1 year of age is too young for this vaccine.

Hi ladies, I'm really double minded about getting DD her 1 year MMR vaccine, apparently some studies show it can cause some problems including Autism. Some food for thought: [url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2013/08/09/court-rulings-dont-confirm-autism-vaccine-link/'>link[/url'> To my understanding, the research saying that vaccines cause autism has since been redacted. It's the article that was published in Lancet.